Crawley Unaware of Stokes' Provocative 'Frail Characters' Comments

England opener Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements made by captain Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".

Stokes delivered this message in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians previously.

Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the playing group.

"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," said Stokes.

But, following the opener made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."

"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.

Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging

The captain made the "weak men" observation subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.

The team afterwards went on a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.

Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.

Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in charge.

"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat entering this Test."

The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph

Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.

Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a notional target of 435.

Consequently, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead with three Tests.

A loss would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series defeat.

This series will be completed in only eleven days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.

The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.

"This is disheartening," said Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."

"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.

"It's been difficult. Australia is a very, very good side. It was always going to be tough touring here to face them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."

Ollie Pope's Place In Question

Although the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term place in the England team, Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.

The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his poor record against Australia.

Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.

A solitary other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.

However, the opener said any notion Pope is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."

"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."

"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There's no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.